NUTRITION AND HEALTH | Nutritional and Health-Promoting Properties of Dairy Products: Contribution of Dairy Foods to Nutrient Intake

In order to succeed as a strategy for survival, milk had to deliver not only complete nutrition to the neonate but also assist the microbial ecology of the gastrointestinal tract. All of this has to be contained in a form that is efficient in construction, effective at delivering highly bioavailable nutrients and contained in a biological material able to accommodate the chemical incompatibility of many of the constituents. Finally, this form needs to have acceptable taste. Milk emerged from this pressure and now offers science tremendous insights into fundamental nutrition. As science unravels the strategy of delivery of nutrition and health benefits of milk, we learn the dynamics of the entire field of nutritional science. Milk delivers basic essential nutrients and works with biological systems as a whole serving as a liaison between the consuming individual and the microbial world.